NEW YORK | There is a lot at stake in a Grand Slam tournament: lots of tennis players, lots of pressure and big sums of money. It is therefore not surprising that after just four days the US Open has seen a lot of minor controversies, sad moments… but also funny moments The newspaper tell you here.
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Also read: This player says the New York crowd didn’t respect her
Apparently tired of the relaunch of ‘disabled people’
After losing to Gaël Monfils and Stan Wawrinka this year, Alexander Bublik, the 25th seed, lost in the first round in New York to Dominic Thiem, a player who, like the first two, is trying to regain his best level, after being ruled out Due to a serious injury, the game has to be suspended for a long time.
And the Kazakh was not at his best during his match, both in terms of tennis and manners. The author of no fewer than 17 double faults and 44 unprovoked errors, Bublik once made on-field comments in a language other than English that were translated as: “I’m tired of reviving the careers of all these disabled people.”
Wait what? Bublik simply said: “I’m bloody sick of welcoming all these disabled people back into their careers” while playing against Thiem, who is recovering from a serious wrist injury.
????
good place @tennis_inmyhead
— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) August 28, 2023
Thiem was champion at the US Open three years ago, before the injuries, and has not had to pull out all the stops in his last seven attempts to win a first Grand Slam match.
But the Austrian made a good impression at the press conference, saying that Bublik’s comments, which were picked up by microphones, “maybe the translation wasn’t correct” and “maybe it wasn’t what he meant.”
“But if so, then these are very harsh words. Something you shouldn’t say in general out of respect,” Thiem added.
Looking for short circuit 5
Ahead of their first-round clash on Monday, fourth seed Holger Rune posted a map of the US Open grounds on social media to show where the somewhat anonymous Short 5 was and where he was playing his first match would.
Ultimately, it was the young Dane who had difficulty finding his way around the pitch (where Félix Auger-Aliassime also played) on Monday, who was eliminated in four rounds by Roberto Carballes Baena in 63rd place.
“The atmosphere was great,” said the 20-year-old after his defeat. I didn’t have a problem with the pitch but I wasn’t expecting to play on it.
“I think that’s normal,” he added. I mean, if you move up the rankings, one of the benefits should be playing in better conditions [le terrain est bruyant, lui qui est collé sur les courts 4 et 6]. The ATP usually does this to its players, but they didn’t do it to me.”
Outside in a wheelchair
Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, a former member of the top 10 who has been trying to return to his best level for several months, had to leave the field in a wheelchair on Thursday after spraining his ankle.
Matteo Berrettini was carried along the dirt road into the night to the Rotelle.
Davvero gross and so.
Non ci sono davvero parole…pic.twitter.com/mODBIWShHC
— Quindici Zero 🎾 (@quindicizero) August 31, 2023
Berrettini collapsed on the court in the second set of his second-round encounter against 73rd-ranked Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech – he was on the verge of losing two sets to nil – and let out a terrible scream, a sign that the pain was intense .
The one who is ranked 36th at the ATP was particularly accompanied on the court by his father. But there was nothing to be done: Berrettini could not resume the game and had to give up.
She thanks them for staying
Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed at the US Open, has one of the strongest serves among women. But if this gets out of hand, the Belarusian can easily turn into a double-fault machine.
This was the case in her first match on Tuesday, when the winner of the last Australian Open committed five double faults in her first two service games.
Photo Getty Images via AFP
But she pulled herself together and it was she who was the winner and gave an interview at Arthur-Ashe. And she started by thanking the fans for staying in the stands.
“Because if I had been you,” she laughed, “I would have left after my third double fault.” So thank you for your patience.”